1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a motor-driven movable body, and a discharge control method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a technology called a smart grid has gained attention. The smart grid is a technical framework to realize efficient power usage by constructing a new transmission network having a communication channel along with a transmission network and using the intelligent transmission network. As a background to the smart grid initiative, there is a desire to realize efficient management of power usage, swift handling of an incident when such an incident occurs, remote control of power usage, distributed power generation using power generation facilities outside the control of a power company, or charging management of a motor-driven movable body. Particularly, effective utilization of in-house power generating stations using renewable energy by ordinary households or operators other than power companies and charging management of various motor-driven movable bodies including electric vehicles have attracted considerable attention. Incidentally, renewable energy is energy generated without using fossil fuel.
Power generated by an ordinary household or an operator other than power companies is used by the power generation operator. Excessive power after power is used by the power generation operator is currently purchased by power companies. However, purchasing power supplied from power generation facilities outside the control of a power company is a heavy burden for the power company. For example, electric energy supplied from photovoltaic power generation facilities depends on the weather. Moreover, electric energy supplied from in-house power generating stations of ordinary households depends on power usage of ordinary households that changes considerably day by day. Thus, it is difficult for power companies to receive stable power supply from power generation facilities outside the control of power companies. For the above reasons, it may become difficult for power companies to purchase power in the future.
Thus, a home battery initiative that uses power generated by power generation facilities outside the control of power companies after being temporarily stored in batteries has recently gained attention. For example, a method of using power generated by photovoltaic power generation facilities by storing such power in batteries and making up for shortages from the batteries in the night or when the weather is bad is considered. Further, methods of limiting electric energy received from a power company in accordance with the battery storage amount and using power stored in batteries during the daytime when power rates are higher by storing power in batteries supplied by a power company in the night when power rates are lower can be considered. Batteries can directly store power as DC, which eliminates the need for DC/AC conversion or AC/DC conversion made for power transmission so that losses during conversion can be reduced.
Thus, various expectations regarding power management mingle with one another amid the smart grid initiative. To realize such power management, the smart grid initiative is premised on having a communication channel along with a transmission network. That is, exchanging information about power management by using the intelligent transmission network is assumed. However, in a region where a communication infrastructure has been built, instead of using a transmission network as a communication channel, information about power management may be exchanged by using a network constructed by the deployed communication infrastructure. That is, what is important in the smart grid initiative is how efficiently to manage power generation facilities and storage facilities that are not managed in a unified manner.
The power management in the smart grid initiative includes power management concerning motor-driven movable bodies such as electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Regarding power management intended for batteries of a motor-driven movable body, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-027772 discloses a technology that identifies a reserve capacity of a battery and detects a duration of battery output based on the reserve capacity. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-027772 discloses a technology that displays information about the detected output enabled time. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-254483 discloses a technology that displays a time or a distance in which driving of a motor-driven movable body can be continued based on a battery residual quantity. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-231103 discloses a technology that displays forecast information of a travelable time and forecast information of a travelable distance based on a power consumption pattern and a power supply pattern in motion in a hybrid vehicle.